From German Patent document DE 41 04 671 A1, a motor vehicle is known, wherein a towing lug is fastened to a lower supporting structure (front axle support) and points forward in the direction of an end face of a front end assembly of the motor vehicle in the horizontal direction.
It is an object of the invention to provide a motor vehicle with a towing lug, which is directly accessible, on a forward end of the motor vehicle.
This and other objects are achieved by a motor vehicle according to the invention having a vehicle body with a vehicle occupant compartment. A front end assembly is disposed in front of the vehicle occupant compartment. The front end assembly has an upper supporting structure and a lower supporting structure. The two supporting structures are connected with one another. The upper supporting structure has two side members which are mutually spaced in the transverse direction of the vehicle. Below the two side members, the lower supporting structure is connected with the upper supporting structure by way of at least one fastening point. A towing lug is arranged on the lower supporting structure.
A longitudinal axis of the towing lug is advantageously arranged essentially vertically or diagonally downward at an angle, so that a free end of the towing lug, on which a lug section of the towing lug is formed, points downward in the direction of a roadway.
In an advantageous embodiment, the towing lug is inclined toward the front at an angle α with respect to a vertical axis in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The angle α is advantageously in a range of 0°≤α≤10°.
In an advantageous embodiment, the towing lug has a threaded shaft. The threaded shaft of the towing lug is screwed to an internal thread in a towing-lug receiving device formed in the lower supporting structure.
Advantageously, one node respectively is formed in the lower supporting structure. Each respective node connects a longitudinal section and a transverse section of the lower supporting structure with one another. A towing lug is fastened to at least one of the two nodes.
In an advantageous embodiment, the lug section of the towing lug projects in the vertical direction toward a roadway so far beyond a lower edge of a front covering of the front end assembly that towing devices used during a towing operation will not contact the lower exterior surface of the front covering.
The longitudinal axis of the towing lug is advantageously perpendicular to the transverse direction of the vehicle.
In an advantageous embodiment, the towing lug has a sufficient distance from an interior wall of an adjacent wheel, even at a maximal steering angle of the wheel toward a vehicle center.
In an arrangement of a towing lug on a motor vehicle according to the invention at a lower supporting structure, the towing lug will be directly accessible, without having to remove a lid in a covering. By being able to screw the towing lug in the towing lug receiving device to the internal thread, a simple handling of the towing lug is achieved during the mounting and demounting.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.